Partitions in docks

ABSTRACT

The structure in partitions in shipbuilding and repairing docks wherein a plurality of partitions may be connected depending on the width of the dock by brackets especially designed for this purpose.

United States Patent Kodama et al.

[54] PARTITIONS IN DOCKS [72] inventors: l-iisashi Kodama, Tokyo; Tsuneo Sekigawa, Tsu; Knzumi Hata, Tsu; Akimichi Nnkaya, Tsu, all of Japan [73] Assignee: Nippon Kokan Kabmhiki Kaisha,

[ NOV. 14, 1972 3,478,525 11/1969 Van Der Hoeven ..6l/64 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 573,919 12/1945 Great Britain ..6l/64 OTHER PUBLICATIONS T ky Japan Engineering News-Record Graving Dock pg. 42- 221 Filed: Dec. 3, 1970 1958 [21] Appl. No.: 94,753 Primary Examiner.i. Karl Bell Attorney-Steinberg & Blake I30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] Amer Dec. 4, [969 Japan ..44/1 14631 The structure in partitions in shipbuilding and repair ing clocks wherein a plurality of partitions may be con- [52] US. Cl Ail/64 nected depending on the width of the dock by [51] Int. Cl ..B63c 3/00 brackets especially designed for this purpose. [58] Field of Search ..6l/64-67, 22, 29, 61/46; 52/64, 238

[56] References Cited 4 Clainl, 11 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,107,400 10/1963 Anderson ..$2/238 X v v v g i Q w-l 9 m s 7 f m 4 G If M y PATENTED 1973 3. 702.538

SHEEI 1 0f 5 1 W m m am A TToRA/EVS PATENTEU Nov 14 m2 SHEET 2 OF 5 INVENTORS.

IHSASHI KODAMA -E semen BY K Z MI HATA AKlMlCl-H NAKAYA d TToRNEY PATENTED BV 14 I 3.702.538

sum 3 or 5 law m 9 LL INVENT 5 H/sAsHI KODAMA TSUNEo SEKIGAWA BY KAzuml ATA flKmvco-u NAKAYA ATTQR PATENTEDIUY 14 m2 3. 702,538

saw u or 5 FIG. 9

INVENTORS HIsAsm KODAMA BY Tsuuso SEK GAWA KAZUMI HATA Ammcm NAKAYA PATEHTEDIuv 14 m2 SHEET 5 OF 5 FIG."

' FIGJO PARTITIONS m nocxs The present invention is related to removable partitions of shipbuilding and repairing docks wherein the dock is divided into sections of which drainage and filling with water are facilitated.

In the prior art, the partitions or flood gates for separating shipbuilding and repairing docks consisted of columns inserted in a groove provided at the bottom of the partition and of a damper, and/or of a horizontal beam provided on top of said damper. In such conventional type flood gates, the former needed to have bigger cross sections for the columns as the depth of water became greater, and the part of the columns needed to be buried deeper. This necessarily accompanied a greater number of columns proving disadvantageous from the economical point of view. In the latter type, the upward force acts on the bracket on the damper side, and a great number of anchor bolts are required to bear the upward force, thus proving also disadvantageous economically. These prior type partitions are so defective that they were not sturdy in their construction, could not maintain the complete water tightness against the hydraulic pressure. As the size of the docks became bigger, conventional type partitions of heavy weight necessitated a greater amount of repairing and enforcing cost and involved difficulties in transportation.

The present invention was contrived in order to remove all these difficulties and defects of the prior art and is characterized in that the optional provision of partitions at desirable positions at the entrance or inside of docks is facilitated by utilizing brackets designed in such a way as to connect the plurality of small sized parts to form one partition.

The present invention is further characterized in that the said partitions are designed in such a way as to be supported by brackets from behind and said brackets are designed in such a way that the weight thereof is made the lightest possible from the point of material dynamics and yet sufficiently sturdy to support the partitions.

The present invention is now described in respect of embodiments thereof references being made to attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the partition; FIG. 2 is a cross section along the line A A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of part designated as C in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross section along the line B Bin FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of D in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a bracket supporting the partition',

FIG. 7 is a side view of the bracket;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a combination of a plurality of partitions by using brackets;

FIG. 9 is a back view showing the part where partitions and brackets engage;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, partly sectional, perspective illustration of the manner in which adjoining ends of a pair of partitions coact with a bracket; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional plan view further illustrating the relationship between the components of FIG. l0.

The present invention is now described more in detail in respect of one embodiment thereof comprising of partitions l and brackets 10 connecting them.

The partition 1 consists of a member the center part of which is thicker than its side regions as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and reinforced by a plurality of reinforcing members as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The edge member 2 provided along the longitudinal sections on both sides of the partition member as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, sandwich timber 1 between flanges 3, 3 protruding from the partition member 1 and fixedly tightens the same suitably, on one end of which is provided a water-tight rubber sealing 5 along the wooden member 4. Numbers! nine denotes railings to be held by individuals walking along the structure and to prevent workers from falling. As is apparent from FIGS. 4 and 5, elongated water-tight packings '7 and 8 are situated along the bottom 6 of the partition 1. As is shown in FIG. 7, a bracket 10 consists of a base plate 12 and support plate 11. The base plate 12 tapered in its cross section from the rear to the front part so as to gradually increase in height from the rear toward the front is reinforced in the same way as support plate 11 by a plurality of reinforcing ribs 14, and the support plate 11 is fixed to form one body at the lower end thereof by welding or with bolts at an angle of about with the base plate 12. As is apparent from FIG. 6, the front surface of the partition support 1 1 of the bracket 10 is provided on both its side edges in the longitudinal direction with water-tight rubber seal packings l8 and 19. To the rear of the base plate 12 is fixed, to form one body therewith support members 13 at an angle of about 50, by welding or with bolts, the other end of which is also fixed at an angle of about at a position a little higher than the center of said support plate 11, the joint part of which is also reinforced with reinforcing members 16 and 17.

The present invention consists of the partition thus constructed and the brackets 10 joining and supporting the same. In actual use, the brackets 10 are suspended in an arbitrary position of a dock by cranes and the like so that they will come at both ends of the partition, and the front part thereof is inclined toward the partition I, with both ends suitably engaged with brackets 10, as shown in FIG. 9, and a plurality of partition members are connected depending on the width of the dock and the distance between the walls 20 of the clock as shown in FIG. 8. The partitions of the present invention will facilitate sending out the completed ship hulls onto the water on opposite sides thereof alternately, and the construction of stem of the ship being constructed in one part of the dock may go forward while construction for the ship to be built next may be initiated on the opposite side, so that the need to float and transfer the hulls of the ships thus constructed is completely eliminated and the whole ship may be constructed in a stationary position.

It is clear from the abovegoing that the period during which the dock is occupied for building the ships is shortened compared with the conventional semi-tandem method in the prior art. For instance, when the actual data for the conventional method shipbuilding taking 60 days is applied to the present method, it has been found that shortening of the period by 2 to 3 days (or 3 to 5 percent) is possible in the present invention method, eliminating the labor and fuel cost completely, as well as the material used for water-tight purposes and apparatus and machinery for towing, thereby proving of a great advantage in shipbuilding.

lm providing the partitions within the dock, the edge members on the side walls are not necessarily required. Still further, the provision of edge members may be made at any arbitrary places as need arises, so that the most rational combination in the construction dynamics of the minimum number of members in brackets and partitions supporting a big load is obtained. Since the connection of plurality of partitions, the number of which may be increased depending on the width and distance between the side walls of the dock is possible, the partitions may be left unfixed to the dock, so as to facilitate easy handling and transfer of the same.

in the present invention, it is also possible to provide for a better support of the partitions such members as a groove to catch the bottom parts of the partitions, the edge member engaging the sides of the partitions, and edge members to engage the rear part of brackets.

As is apparent from the drawings, the partition 1 has front and rear surfaces as well as opposed side edges and top and bottom edges, the water-tight packings 5 extending along the side edges at the rear surface of the partition while the water-tight packings 7, 8 extend along the bottom edge 6. The brackets 10 are arranged in such a way that one side region of a bracket extends behind one side edge of a partition 1 while the other side region of the bracket 10 extends along the side edge at the rear of the next partition 1. This is apparent from HO. 8 which shows the gap between successive partitions l bridged by the bracket 10. Also, as is apparent from FIGS. 2-5 and 9, each partition 1 is made up of a substantially continuous front plate reinforced at its rear surface by reinforcing plates which are perpendicular to and fixed to the front plate with elongated hollow reinforcing assemblies extending along the rear surface of the front plate, in the manner shown in FlGS. 2 and 4, so as top provide the partition with its thicker elongated central region and with its inner side edge regions toward which the thicker central region tapers in the manner most clearly apparent from FIG. 2.

FIGS. 10 and 1] illustrate in detail the manner in which a pair of adjoining ends of a pair of partitions l are supported by a bracket 10 with the latter bridging the space between the adjoining ends of the partitions. The water exerts the pressure X against the partitions, as shown schematically in F lG. 10, which also illustrates the safety rails 9 at the top of the partitions along which the attendants may walk, with FIG. 10 also illustrating a ladder carried by the bracket 10 to enable an attendant to climb to the top of the structure.

FIG. 1 l in particular illustrates how the rear portions of the partitions rest against the bracket to achieve the fluid-tight engagement by components such as the seals 5 What is claimed is:

1. For use in ship-building or repairing docks, at least one partition having front and rear surfaces as well as opposed side edges and a bottom edge, said partition carrying water-tight packings at its rear surface longitudinally along both side edges and also along the bottom g mfiafifiififfi ciifififigfififiii frifli. face of said partition at its side edge regions for supporting said partition, said brackets respectively having front surfaces engaging the rear surface of said partition and carrying water-tight packings which extend longitudinally along said side edges of said partition at the rear surface thereof, each bracket including an elongated bottom plate having front and rear ends and gradually increasing in height from said rear toward said front end so as to be tapered, an elongated partition support fixed to the front end of said bottom plate and extending upwardly therefrom, and a rear support extending from the rear of said bottom plate upwardly to said partition support and fixed to the latter and said bottom plate to form one body therewith, said partition support having at its front face the water-tight seal packings which engage the rear surface of said partition at the region of the side edges thereof.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said partition support extends at an angle of about with respect to said bottom plate while said rear support makes an angle of approximately 50 with the rear end of said bottom plate and an angle of approximately with said partition support.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a plurality of said partitions are arranged substantially in a common plane and substantially in edge-to-edge relation, and a plurality of said brackets supporting said partitions.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the plurality of partitions are spaced from each other with each bracket bridging the space between successive partitions and having one side edge region engaging the rear surface of one partition at a side edge thereof and another side region engaging the rear surface of the next partition at a side edge thereof. 

1. For use in ship-building or repairing docks, at least one partition having front and rear surfaces as well as opposed side edges and a bottom edge, said partition carrying water-tight packings at its rear surface longitudinally along both side edges and also along the bottom edge thereof, and a pair of brackets adapted to be supported at a dock and respectively engaging the rear surface of said partition at its side edge regions for supporting said partition, said brackets respectively having front surfaces engaging the rear surface of said partition and carrying water-tight packings which extend longitudinally along said side edges of said partition at the rear surface thereof, each bracket including an elongated bottom plate having front and rear ends and gradually increasing in height from said rear toward said front end so as to be tapered, an elongated partition support fixed to the front end of said bottom plate and extending upwardly therefrom, and a rear support extending from the rear of said bottom plate upwardly to said partition support and fixed to the latter and said bottom plate to form one body therewith, said partition support having at its front face the water-tight seal packings which engage the rear surface of said partition at the region of the side edges thereof.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said partition support extends at an angle of about 60* with respect to said bottom plate while said rear support makes an angle of approximately 50* with the rear end of said bottom plate and an angle of approximately 65* with said partition support.
 3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a plurality of said partitions are arranged substantially in a common plane and substantially in edge-to-edge relation, and a plurality of said brackets supporting said partitions.
 4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the plurality of partitions are spaced from each other with each bracket bridging the space between successive partitions and having one side edge region engaging the rear surface of one partition at a side edge thereof and another side region engaging the rear surface of the next partition at a side edge thereof. 